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Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila is native to Turkestan, eastern Siberia, Mongolia, Tibet, northern China, India (northern Kashmir) and Korea. It is also called 'Asiatic Elm' , 'Dwarf Elm' and (erroneously) 'Chinese Elm'. It has also been widely cultivated throughout Asia, North America and, to a lesser extent, southern Europe.
It is usually a small to medium-sized, often bushy, tree growing to 10-20 m tall, with a trunk up to 80 cm diameter. The variety arborea from Turkestan is more handsome, growing to 30 m with a broad, rounded crown. The leaves are deciduous in cold areas, but semi-evergreen in warmer climates, <7 cm long and <3 cm broad, with an oblique base and a coarsely serrated margin, changing from dark green to yellow in autumn.
Cultivation and uses
As an ornamental it is a very poor tree, tending to be short-lived, with brittle wood and poor crown shape. It is also intolerant of wet ground conditions. It is however notable for its high resistance to Dutch elm disease, drought and severe cold. Consequently it has been hybridized to produce hardy ornamentals such as 'Sapporo Autumn Gold', while American cultivars shewing some horticultural merit include 'Dropmore', 'Park Royal', 'Lincoln' and 'Chinkota'.In North America it has become an invasive species from Utah east to Kansas and north to Ontario. It was successfully planted in great numbers in shelter belts acoss the prairies in the aftermath of the Dustbowl disasters, but later proved very susceptible to various maladies. Described by horticultural writer Dr Michael Dirr as "one of, if not the, world's worst trees...a poor ornamental that does not deserve to be planted anywhere". It was also introduced into Spain in the 16th century, where it has naturally hybridized with the Field Elm U. minor.
References
- Dirr, M. (1975). Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing LLC. Champaign, Illinois.
- Elwes, H. J. & Henry, A. (1913). The Trees of Great Britain & Ireland. Vol. VII. pp 1848-1929. Private publication, Edinburgh. *
- Fu, L., Xin, Y. & Whittemore, A. (2002). Ulmaceae, in Wu, Z. & Raven, P. (eds) Flora of China, Vol. 5 (Ulmaceae through Basellaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, USA. *
- Huxley, A. (1992). The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.
- Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees. Collins.
- Field Guide to North American Trees, Western Region, National Audubon Society, 2002, pgs. 419 & 420
External links
"Siberian Elm"